Fire-extinguisher.



Wr A.. STAFF.

FIRE EXTINGUISHER. APPLICATION FILED MAR.1,1909.

,4 7, Patented Oct. 12,1909.

FIRE-EXTINGUISHER;

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Get. 12, 1909.

Application filed March 1, 1909. Serial No. 480,621.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, l/VILLIAM A. STAFF, a citizen of the United Statesof America, and a resident of Chicago, Cook county, State or" llinois,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fire-Extinguishers,of which the following is a specification.

The main object of this invention is to provide a fire extinguisherhaving improved means for supporting the acid bottle to pre ventitsaccidental displacement during operation, and to insure the mixture ofthe gas forming elements when the device is in use.

A specific construction embodying this invention is illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l is a perspective view, partly broken away and partly insection, of the tire extinguisher casing and bottle cage. Fig. 2 is aside elevation of the cage with the acid bottle in its normal position.Fig. 3 is a fragmentary section of the cage, showing the bottle partlyremoved therefrom and retained in such position by the resilientretaining bars or members.

In the construction shown, the casing l is provided with a threaded neck2 on which the closing or sealing cap, not shown, is adapted to besecured. On the inner side of said neck is an inwardlv directed flangeor other supporting member 3 adapted to support the bottle cage, whichis indicated as a whole by 1. Said cage comprises an upper, aperturedend member 5 adapted to enter the neck 2 and rest upon the flange 3, anda lower end member 6 which is of a size to pass through the neck 2 belowthe flange 3 and is rigidly secured to and supported from said upper endmember 5 by a plurality of connecting rods or stays 7, which are rigidlysecured at their ends in said end members. A plurality of resilientretaining bars or members 8 are secured at their lower ends to said endmember 6, and are adapted to swing or spring outwardly or apart at theirupper ends to permit the admission of the bottle or other acid holdingreceptacle 9 between them. The upper ends of said retaining members aremovably secured in transverse or radial slots 10 in the upper endmember, which slots are adapted to limit the movement of said ends ineither direction. Any preferred number of said retaining members may beemployed, and they are preferably spaced apart equidistantly and soconnected with the lower end member that l I It j.

their upper ends normally rest at the inner ends of said slots, as shownin Fig. 1.

The bottle 9 is supported between said bars 8 on the end member (5, andis pro-- \ided with a loosely fitting stopper 11 whit-y is adapted tofall therefrom when the easi the contents of the bottle to mingle withthose of the casing,

wardly directed shoulder or projection 12 adapted to seat over and restupon the shoulder 13 of the bottle when the latter is in its normalposition in the cage, as shown Fig, 2, and hold the bottle securely whenthe casing is inverted.

When the bottle is emptied, it must be refilled to render the de iceoperative, and it has sometimes happened, where the bottle has been heldbetween yielding retaining members, that when the bottle is being removed or replaced, its retaining members are so sprung or distorted thatthey will not again grip the bottle with sufiicient tenacity to hold itin place when the casin is inverted. Asa consequence, the bottle fallsfrom the cage, and its stopper is held against the closing cap andprevented from falling from the bottle, thus preventing the contents ofthe bottle from flowing out to render the device operative. In order toobviate this ditliculty and insure a firm grip y the retaining membersupon the bottle when the cage is in place, each retaining member isprovided adjacent its upper end with an outwardly directed projection orshoulder place in the casing, to abut against the flange 3 and hold theupper end of the retaining member at the inner end of its slot 10 andthereby hold the projection 12 over the shoulder of the bottle.

he operation of the construction is as follows: The bottle is placed inits cage when the latter is removed or partially removed from itscasing, so as to permit the retaining membes to spring outwardly and letthe bottle pass the projection 12. lVhen the bottle is in position, theretaining members spring back to place, with said projections 12extending over the shoulder 13 of the bottle, and when the cage placedin the'casing, as shown in Fig. 1, the shoulders let abut against theflange 3 and hold said 14 adapted, when the cage is in members at theinner limit of their movement and prevent the accidental displacement ofthe bottle when the casing is inverted.

When it is desired to refill the bottle, it may be removed from thecage, or, if esired, partially removed, as shown in Fig. 3, and saidretaining members will hold it in such position.

Although but one specific embodiment of this invention is herein shown,it will be understood that numerous details of: the construction shownmay be altered or omitted without departing from the spirit of thisinvention.

I claim:

1. In a fire extinguisher, the combination of a casing, and a bottlecage removably supported therein and comprising end members, meansrigidly connecting said end members together, and independently movableretaining members adapted to confine the bottle and to spread apart attheir upper ends to permit the bottle to be withdrawn from the cage,said retaining members being adapted to engage the casing adjacent tothe upper end member and prevent the spreading of said retaining memberswhen the cage is in position in the casing, and means on the uppermember for limiting such spreading when the cage is removed from thecasing.

2. A fire extinguisher, comprising a casing, a bottle, and a cage forsupporting said bottle in said casing and comp-rising end members, aplurality of resilient retaining members adapted to grip said bottle,said retaining members being each laterally movable in one end memberand each rigidly secured to the other end member, and means on said oneend member adapted to limit the spreading of said retaining members whenremoved from the casing, said retaining members being shaped to engagethe casing and prevent the spreading of said retaining members when thecage is in posit-ion in said casing.

3. A fire extinguisher,

comprising a casmg havlng an inwardly pro ect1ng supl l l l portingmember thereon, an upper radially slotted end member supported on saidsupporting member, a lower end member, means rigidly connecting said endmembers toether, resilient retaining members secured to the lower endmember and each projecting into a slot in the upper end member, andmeans thereon adapted to engage said supporting member and force theretaining to the upper end member.

l. A tire extinguisher, comprising a casing, a supporting memberthereon, a cage supported at its upper end on said supporting member,resilient retaining members supported on the lower end of said cage andprojecting upwardly therefrom and each adapted to move independently ofthe others and of the top of said cage, means on said retaining membersadapted to engage said supporting member and force the retaining membersto the inner limit of their movement, and a bottle gripped between saidretaining members.

5. A fire extinguisher, comprising a casing having an inwardly directedsupporting member therein, a ring shaped end member on said supportingmember and provided with radial slots, a bottle beneath said end member,means rigidly engaged to said end member and adapted to support thebottle,

said means comprising upwardly directed resilient retaining membersthereon each having its upper end projecting into one of said slots andhaving a shoulder adapted to engage over a shoulder on the bottle, and aprojection on adapted to engage the supporting member and hold theretalnmg member at the inner end of its slot when sail ring shaped endmember is resting on said supporting member.

Signed at Chicago this 21th day of February, 1909.

W'ILLIAM A. STAFF.

lVitnesses:

EUGENE A. RUMMLER, MARY M. DILLMAN.

members inwardly of said slot with respect.

each retaining member

